STAFFERS AT NEW MEXICO'S V-A HOSPITAL, MANIPULATED RECORDS TO HIDE LONG WAIT TIMES FOR VETERANS. THAT'S THE SHOCKING NEWS UNVEILED BY A RECENT INTERNAL INVESTIGATION. AS KOAT ACTION 7 NEWS REPORTER LAURA THOREN LEARNED, IT'S BEEN A PROBLEM FOR A LONG TIME. DOUG AND SHELLY - THIS IS THE REPORT RIGHT HERE. IT SHOWS STAFFERS FIXED APPOINTMENT RECORDS, SO IT "LOOKED" LIKE THINGS WERE GOING SMOOTHLY - WHEN THEY WEREN'T. IF THE WALLS OF NEW MEXICO'S V-A HOSPITAL COULD TALK - WE MIGHT KNOW MORE ABOUT WHY VETERANS HAD TO WAIT MONTHS FOR APPOINTMENTS. INSTEAD WE HAVE THIS DOCUMENT. AN INTERNAL AUDIT... THAT SHOWS EMPLOYEES CANCELLED OR RESCHEDULED APPOINTMENTS, TO MAKE IT APPEAR PATIENTS WERE GETTING SPEEDY CARE WHEN THEY REALLY WEREN'T. THE NEWS MAKES CONGRESSWOMAN MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM VERY ANGRY. I'm so outraged and disappointed...You don't want to believe any system would fail the very individuals who need it the most. SOT According to senior staff here at the New Mexico VA this manipulation hasn't been happening just the past year or so, it's been at least a decade. V-A STAFF TOLD INVESTIGATORS, "this is the way we've always done it". ANOTHER EMPLOYEE SAID, "management didn't care". BUT THE DOCUMENT DOESN'T POINT ITS FINGER AT ANY ONE MANAGER. IN FACT, IT SAYS THERE'S "no credible evidence of any such direction by any member of the management team." LUJAN-GRISHAM SAYS SHE'S NOT BUYING THAT. 1) The VA Isn't looking to hold those folks accountable, and 2) people are terrified about pointing to exactly who, which managers are instructing them, to manipulate the wait times because they're terrified of retaliation. SHE SAYS THIS IS ALL THE MORE REASON FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE TO FIGURE OUT EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED AT V-A HOSPITALS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY. AND SHE WANTS THAT INVESTIGATION TO START RIGHT HERE IN NEW MEXICO. THE CONGRESSWOMAN ALSO WANTS TO KNOW WHICH V-A STAFFERS RECEIVED BONUSES, FOR RECORDS SHOWING VETERANS GOT APPOINTMENTS QUICKLY. LUJAN GRISHAM SAYS SHE HAD TO SUBMIT A FORMAL REQUEST FOR THAT INFORMATION AND IS STILL WAITING TO GET IT. SHE THINKS THAT'S ANOTHER SIGN THE V-A DOESN'T WANT THOSE DETAILS TO GET OUT.